She had a slightly mischievous thought: what would happen if she pretended to have blacked out?
After thinking about it for a moment, Qiu Lanxi gave up on the idea of playing such a boring game. It's not a good thing to play with other people's true feelings.
But what do couples do?
Qiu Lanxi tried hard to recall, and her expression became somewhat strange.
She is a pessimist. Whether it's the love in her life or the love she sees online, she can't help but speculate on an outcome that the person involved might spit on her for.
Therefore, she has always been indifferent to their various intimate physical gestures.
However……
Qiu Lanxi kissed Yan Qingli on the cheek: "Good morning."
She didn't mind doing this kind of thing with Yan Qingli.
People are indeed prone to becoming the very thing they once thought they would never be.
Yan Qingli was taken aback. She couldn't quite understand Qiu Lanxi's occasional strange remarks, but she could generally grasp them, so she also said, "Good morning."
Her eyes were exceptionally earnest, and she seemed to speak these words with a devout heart. Qiu Lanxi couldn't help but think that every time she went to pay her respects to Emperor Qinghe, she would be careful to avoid wearing anything that might cause her to bump into him. Others thought she was trying to secure the emperor's favor, but Qiu Lanxi knew that she was genuinely paying her respects.
She is a very sincere person, but not pedantic.
Seeing that the tips of her ears were completely red, Qiu Lanxi couldn't help but cup her face and kiss her again.
"You," Yan Qingli said, a little embarrassed, "what is this...?"
"I'm playing with fire, I know that."
Yan Qingli was a little confused. She just wanted to say that there was still plenty of time. If she wanted to, it wouldn't be impossible, but the court session would inevitably be a bit rushed. It wouldn't be good to be like this on the first day of court. What if she lost focus in court?
Of course, officials who have just started court don't usually speak much, and they need time to adjust. It's not unacceptable for them to occasionally lose focus.
Seeing that Yan Qingli couldn't keep up with the joke, Qiu Lanxi couldn't help but suppress her smile. She was a very self-centered person and an egoist, so she usually didn't know how to accommodate others. But that wasn't good. A relationship couldn't be maintained by just one person. Since it was a relationship, one had to have the right attitude.
Qiu Lanxi secretly warned herself that she could no longer say anything 'strange' to Yan Qingli. If she couldn't understand what she was saying, the other party would also feel anxious about it.
"I'm sorry." Seeing Qiu Lanxi's mood drop, Yan Qingli couldn't help but lower her eyes. She was only a few years older than Qiu Lanxi, but it seemed that she could no longer keep up with the thinking of the young people.
Qiu Lanxi asked incredulously, "What are you apologizing for?" She couldn't help but rub Yan Qingli's face. "Does it mean that every time something happens to me, it's your fault?"
Yan Qingli shook her head, frowned, and said seriously, "How can people be so unable to distinguish right from wrong?"
She couldn't take all the blame upon herself; she had to be realistic about everything. Moreover, if she did that, she might become unable to recognize her own limitations under such indulgence, which was a very dangerous state, especially in the imperial court, where it was easy to stumble.
Qiu Lanxi couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this, and for some reason felt that when she got serious, she had a kind of old-fashioned cadre's demeanor.
"You're right."
Qiu Lanxi tugged at her clothes, ending the conversation. It was her first day at work, and she couldn't arrive right on time.
Although Yan Qingli doesn't seem to be late, the palace is quite a distance from the princess's residence. What if there's a traffic jam on the way?
After Qiu Lanxi became familiar with how to wear Ning Chao's clothes, she stopped having anyone serve her personally. She could never adapt to things that were commonplace in this era. Yan Qingli also got up and began to take care of herself. The two did not interfere with each other, just like an old married couple.
Qiu Lanxi felt that this situation was not right. Aren't newly dating couples usually all lovey-dovey? They skipped this process all at once, wasn't that a bit inappropriate?
It's impossible for Qiu Lanxi to feel the shyness that newly dating couples would feel, since they didn't go through the normal dating process in the first place.
After thinking for a moment, Qiu Lanxi volunteered: "I'll draw your eyebrows for you!"
Yan Qingli did not refuse, so Qiu Lanxi carefully examined the paper before starting to write.
Although Qiu Lanxi knows how to do makeup herself, she has never done makeup for anyone else before. It took her quite a while to finally manage to make the makeup symmetrical.
Because of Qiulanxi, breakfast also included pickled vegetables made by the common people. For the aristocratic families of this era, such food was really not presentable. Yan Qingli neither liked nor disliked it. As long as the food was palatable, that was fine with her. She was not someone who had never suffered hardships, so there was nothing to complain about.
Her way of doing things was truly impeccable. As Qiu Lanxi ate her porridge, she unsurprisingly tasted a faint medicinal flavor. For some reason, everyone in the princess's mansion seemed to think that she needed tonics, but in reality, she didn't need any.
She held the spoon to Yan Qingli's lips: "Your Highness, would you like to try some?"
Yan Qingli hesitated for a moment. Being too close in public made her a little apprehensive. She hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth, and immediately felt a little shy.
Qiu Lanxi rarely feeds others. She's an adult, with hands and feet; isn't it boring to do something like that?
But at this moment, she realized that it seemed, actually was quite interesting.
Especially when the other person is a very proper person at heart, and feels shy about even the slightest intimate gesture.
This stickiness made Yan Qingli very uncomfortable. It was as if she had suddenly become a different person. Yan Qingli could feel the awkwardness in her actions, as if she was forcing herself to change, but she didn't think the other person needed to change anything.
But she didn't say anything until she got into the carriage, at which point she told her, "You don't have to do this."
"Um?"
Yan Qingli frowned and said, "What happened last night was my own choice, so you don't need to feel guilty."
Qiu Lanxi: "...?"
Yan Qingli thought it over and over and realized that Qiu Lanxi's sudden strange behavior was probably because of what happened last night.
Qiu Lanxi was stunned for a moment. She hadn't thought much about what happened last night when she woke up this morning. It was just that they had started dating, and then the night was perfect, so it was only natural that they had a one-night stand. It wasn't like it hadn't happened before.
But only when Yan Qingli said this did Qiu Lanxi realize that something more important than their previous interactions seemed to have happened last night.
She tried hard to recall, and her hazy memories suddenly became clear. Qiu Lanxi opened her eyes wide in shock, looking at Yan Qingli as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.
How can there be such an honest person in the world?
As a martial artist, Yan Qingli naturally knew her body inside and out. No one in the world knew every part of her body better than herself, not even Qiu Lanxi, who was good at observation.
This isn't really a headache, since they're happy even if they don't know everything.
But I drank alcohol last night.
So Qiu Lanxi... well, she stopped observing silently on her own and went straight to ask Yan Qingli.
Telling someone in person which parts of your body are most sensitive and how much force you need to feel them most deeply is a shameful thing that no one would agree to. But Yan Qingli only remained silent for a moment before speaking. Not only did she speak, but when Qiu Lanxi asked her how she felt, she answered truthfully.
Qiu Lanxi could hardly exhaust Yan Qingli; this was an objective difference in their physical strength. But last night…
She recalled her own heartfelt, perverse laughter, repeatedly asking herself, "Is this how it is?" "Is this right?" "Is it really comfortable?" and couldn't help but cover her face. This was just too much.
Qiu Lanxi could hardly imagine what Yan Qingli felt when she was trembling and losing her composure as she was tormented into making noise, especially since she herself had to point out those weaknesses one by one.
"You..." Qiu Lanxi's feelings were complicated, "Are you stupid?!"
How can there be such a person in this world?
Yan Qingli coughed lightly: "You asked me."
Although it's a little embarrassing, it's not particularly unbearable.
She hadn't expected that these small problems would leave her in such a sorry state, even disrupting her internal energy to the point of being unable to use it. She was naturally a little ashamed and indignant, after all, she was always calm and composed, and losing her composure over such a matter was really hard to accept, but, well, it was alright.
Anyway, no third person will know.
"Just because I asked you doesn't mean you have to tell me!" Qiu Lanxi couldn't help but tap her. "What if I have ulterior motives?"
She couldn't help but say, "The honey trap isn't anything new."
Qiu Lanxi used to think she was scheming, but now she really thinks she's a bit naive. The human heart is the most unpredictable thing in the world. Even if someone is loyal now, who can predict what will happen in the future?
There are so many disgusting things in the world. If we reveal them all now, what will we do in the future?
Yan Qingli simply smiled and said nothing more.
But she believed she wouldn't. Some people think of themselves as noble, some people think of themselves as ugly, and only a very few can objectively understand themselves. Yan Qingli believed she wouldn't.
Her bottom line is much higher than she imagined.
However, Yan Qingli did not voice her thoughts. She always felt it was a little difficult to say such things out loud, so she just smiled, her eyes seemingly containing the gentlest light in the world, impervious to cold winds and unshaken by lightning.
Qiu Lanxi heard her own heartbeat, thump, thump, thump.
She felt like she'd been hooked.
Chapter 54
As expected, Qiu Lanxi's presence stirred up a storm in the court, and she even performed better than Emperor Qinghe had imagined.
However, on her first day in court, she used the officials' "disheveled attire" as an excuse to make a scene, so much so that officials almost subconsciously carried mirrors with them when they went out, checking themselves before getting off their carriages, for fear that Qiu Lanxi would use this as an excuse to make a scene.
This was something that no one would have dared to even imagine before.
Because Da Ning had been in a state of war for many years, officials would sometimes rush to court because of a piece of wartime news. Who would have the time to care about their attire? Although the war is over now, this custom has been passed down.
Not everyone realizes that times have changed and the atmosphere will naturally change accordingly. Emperor Qinghe couldn't bring up these trivial matters, but Qiu Lanxi wasn't afraid, so the two hit it off tacitly.
But the court officials didn't see it that way. They felt that Qiu Lanxi was indeed a wicked and bewitching woman. First Wang Baiying, then Yan Qingli, and now even Emperor Qinghe was beginning to be bewitched.
When a group of people unanimously believe that someone has a problem, most people will inevitably start to doubt their own original judgment. This has gradually branded Qiu Lanxi with the image of a femme fatale in the public eye.
Qiu Lanxi didn't care about this, after all, at least on the surface, her behavior was indeed not that of a good official, but rather that of a treacherous minister who used all her skills for infighting.
However, despite this, Qiu Lanxi's life in the court was not all smooth sailing. It was not that Emperor Qinghe wanted to suppress her; on the contrary, in order to achieve her own goals, her official position could be said to have risen steadily, but her conflict with Yan Qingli deepened.
In the workplace, the most common problem for couples is blurring the lines between work and personal life. Qiu Lanxi and Yan Qingli are not people who blur the lines between work and personal life, but they have different beliefs.
After Yan Qingli once again saved the opposing official that Qiu Lanxi wanted to bring down, Qiu Lanxi had no more words to say. After court, she ignored everyone like the wind and simply called Chun Su and left.
Yan Qingli glanced discreetly in the direction she had left, then lowered her eyes and continued to deal with her colleagues until the eunuch beside Emperor Qinghe came over, allowing her to escape.
As the eunuch entered the imperial study, Yan Qingli bowed formally and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty. May I ask what business Your Majesty has with me?"
Emperor Qinghe looked down at her. He never expected that his once kind, resilient, and considerate daughter would also harbor ambitions for the throne.
He was never one to beat around the bush, especially when it came to his daughter whom he had once doted on. So he asked her directly, "Do you want to be the crown prince?"
Yan Qingli was taken aback for a moment, then understood. Her father was not stupid; he was always sensitive to the slightest movement in the court. Now that things had escalated, it was impossible to keep it a secret. Some things can be kept secret for a while, but not forever.
She immediately replied, "Your Majesty, I believe that a prince who does not want to be the crown prince is not a good prince."
As for the ultimate goal of becoming emperor? After all, Emperor Qinghe was in good health, so there were some things he naturally couldn't say.
After bringing this up, Yan Qingli remained calm. She could not allow herself to ascend to the throne illegitimately, as that would inevitably make her subject to others. Without a legitimate title, one's words would not be righteous, and without righteous words, nothing could be accomplished. Even if she were to sit on the throne, she would be like her father, who waited so long to find an opportunity to break the deadlock.
Most importantly, the prevailing public opinion and the subtle influence of Qiu Lanxi's words had slightly changed Emperor Qinghe's views.
All confident people feel that they can control everything and that they will not waver. But what Qiu Lanxi is best at is making people feel that the change of mind is a choice made by her own heart and has nothing to do with others.
"You're quite frank," Emperor Qinghe chuckled enigmatically, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "Aren't you afraid I'll despise you from now on? And banish you from the court?"